Player of the Week
Desmond Claude (Xavier)
Desmond Claude has been a big reason behind Xavier’s two-game win streak. In the victory over Providence, Claude added 21 points and five rebounds on 56.3 percent shooting. On Tuesday, the sophomore kept it going, scoring a season-high 26 points against Butler. The young guard is earning himself a prominent role with this Xavier squad, averaging 15.8 points, 4.8 and 3.7 assists on the year. The New Haven, Connecticut, native will hope that his scoring streak stays consistent, as the Musketeers are looking to ride their win streak further into Big East play and up their seeding before the conference tournament.
Who’s Hot
UConn Huskies
After being ranked the No. 1 team in the country for the first time since 2009, it was only right that UConn was put in this category this week. The Huskies currently are riding a six-game win streak, and have won nine of their last 10 games. On Wednesday, UConn did more than protect its home court, dominating No. 18 Creighton 62-48. The defending national champions are starting to find their complete form, and showing the country that they have the capability to make another deep run in the NCAA Tournament and even go back-to-back if they continue the level of play they are at. Averaging 81.9 points per game, the Huskies make it difficult for teams to keep up with them and give them a run for their money.
Kam Jones (Marquette)
Marquette’s leading scorer is beginning to heat up at the right time of year, as Kam Jones has combined for 42 points in his last two games. Despite a 9-for-22 shooting performance, Jones poured in 20 points against Butler. On Monday, the junior picked up his shooting, this time going a stellar 10-for-12 from the field while adding 22 points, six rebounds and four assists. Jones, who averages 15.3 points on the year, will need to continue his efficiency scoring the ball if the Golden Eagles want to push their way up the Big East standings before the conference tournament rolls around in March.
Who’s Not
Trey Alexander (Creighton)
Despite what’s been an overall strong season for Trey Alexander, the last couple games have not been what Creighton has been accustomed to seeing from him. Alexander has dipped below his season average of 15.7 points on 42.9 percent shooting in his last two outings. Against St Johns on Saturday, the junior went 3-for-14 from the field for 21.4 percent shooting and scored just eight points. Things didn’t get better for the Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, native on Wednesday against UConn, as Alexander went 3-of-12 on 25 percent shooting and six points. Alexander combined for seven turnovers in the two games. As one of the top-scorers for the Bluejays this season, Alexander will need to quickly get out of this midseason slump and turn things around as March becomes closer and closer.
DJ Davis (Butler)
Its been a rough three-game stretch for Dj Davis, including his team dropping back-to-back games. In Davis’ last three games combined, he still doesn’t reach his average on the year — scoring a total of eight points — his average on the season is currently 12.4. Against Marquette, the senior scored just four points on 25 percent shooting. In the Saturday matchup against Seton Hall, David repeated his scoring performance from the game before, but his shooting percentage got even worse at 12.5 — including going 0-of-6 from deep. On Tuesday against Xavier, the guard scored just two points — both being at the free throw line. Davis didn’t make a single shot in that game, going 0-of-8 in the game. The scoring slump comes as a surprise to many, as Davis scored over 20 points in each of the three games before his current three-game slump.
Top 5 Defensive Teams
UConn Huskies
To be the best in the country, not only do you need to score the ball, you need to limit your opponents on the other side of the floor as well. UConn has been doing just that this year, allowing just 64.6 points per game on the season. The Huskies put their defense on display against Creighton on Wednesday, allowing just 48 points.
Creighton Bluejays
With just five losses on the year, Creighton’s defense has played up to its standard for most of the 2023-24 season. The Bluejays allow 65.4 points per game, understandably finding out that the less points they hold their opponents to, the larger the margin of victory often is.
Providence Friars
Although Providence struggles to score the ball at times, ranking outside of the top 200 in the nation in scoring, its been able to put together 12 victories thanks to its average of 65.7 points allowed per game. The Friars keep games close with their tenacious and pesky defensive efforts.
Villanova Wildcats
Villanova has long been known as a strong defensive basketball program, and that didn’t change when Kyle Neptune took over in 2022. The Wildcats average 66.4 points allowed per game this year, and hope to keep that defensive effort up as Big East play heats up.
Marquette Golden Eagles
While not where it wants to be in the conference standings currently, Marquette has had a strong defensive squad this year. The Golden Eagles allow an average of 67.6 points and will look to keep teams around or below that number down the stretch, as the team scores 77.4 points per game on the other end of the floor.